Monday, 11 January 2010

Some time ago I posted a review of the Woodgas Campstove we use for cooking in the wood. Well, now I've got another video - this time of its big brother, the Woodgas Outdoor Fireplace:The fireplace works on exactly the same principle as the campstove, with a fan drawing air in through the holes round the outside of the base, and injecting a small amount through holes in the base of the combustion chamber:The limited amount of air, combined with the heat of the fire, results in the wood being gasified, to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen (known as woodgas), which is then ignited when it reaches the much larger airflow coming in through the holes in the top (don't worry, all the CO is burned, no risk from the woodgas):There are a few small differences between the fireplace and the campstove. The campstove had two power sockets - high and low - and ran from a pair of AA batteries. The fireplace can take a 9-12V supply, so can run directly from a lead-acid battery, or eight smaller batteries in a pack. However, it is supplied with a mains adaptor, as many people will be using it in the garden, hopefully to replace one of the nasty fossil-fuel burning patio heaters! The fan in the stove only uses 2W of power, while the heat from the stove can reach 16kW! The fireplace also has a knob to vary the airflow, although you'll normally only use anything less than maximum while lighting it.The fireplace also has handles added to the side. These stayed cool even after an hour of operation, allowing you to move the stove (carefully!) after you've unplugged it without waiting for it to cool down.Anyway, here it is full of fuel and ready to go. A full load of fuel should burn for an hour and a half, and you can top it up (gradually) while it is burning.Just before we get to the video, here's a few photos of it in action:nice, eh? Well, without further ado, here's the video on how to use one:

3 comments:

HiI have watched your YouTube video. I do not have an acct so could not post there.

Anyway, I would like to know if you are able totouch the sides if the XL while in operation. I haveread conflicting description like it is very hot andcould burn you while another reviewer said it iscool to the touch and can be a hand warmer.

Can you share your experience? I intend to useone on a small wooden deck and am concerned about the safety of the wood as well as my handling of it.

Hi. We've not used it much for a while now, as we usually have fires at the woods, so no need for the Woodgas Fireplace. However, we do use the campstove version a lot, so I can tell you about that - the sides of it do get hot - too hot to touch, but nowhere near as hot as the inside of the stove. The base is probably much cooler, as that's where the air comes in. However, if I was using it on a wooden deck, I'd probably sit it on top of an old piece of wood just to be safe.